Font Size:

Armon Johnson got a lot of flack when he declared for the NBA Draft in April. After all, this was a guy who could not even crack the lineup on the all-WAC first team in his final season. Now, he was going to the NBA? Right. Good luck with that.

However, here we are, just a couple of weeks into the NBA season and Johnson is already turning heads. He's scored in double-digits in three of his last five games, despite rarely exceeding 13 minutes a night. His latest gem came on Sunday night when he scored a career-high 12 points in just 12 minutes in Los Angeles against the mighty Lakers. He has been everything he was at Nevada, Luke Babbitt on the other hand has not.

Babbitt, who admitted to being nervous before his preseason debut, has failed to find his comfort zone in the NBA. Through Sunday, Babbitt had registered just 22 minutes in three games while connecting on just 29 percent of his field goals and a quarter of his three-pointers. It's hardly what we've come to expect from the local sharpshooter who nailed 50 percent of his shots last season.

Perhaps the most telling stat is Babbitt's free-throw percentage, or lackthereof. Luke has gone 1-for-4 from the stripe. This after he missed only 18 free-throws (92 percent) all of last season.

Babbitt finds himself in a completely unfamiliar situation. Not only is he not used to playing so poorly, he's also not accustomed to riding the bench. Whenever Babbitt had a disappointing night at Nevada (and there were very few) he always had the satisfaction of knowing he could get back on the floor the next game and put that last performance to bed. He's not getting that opportunity in Portland. Babbitt sat out the Blazers' first four games before registering four minutes and his first goal in his pro debut. He proceeded to ride the bench the next two games before getting a season-high 10 minutes (4 points) against the Raptors and then seven minutes (0 points) the following night against the Lakers. Hard to break out of a slump, when you're rarely on the floor and seldom playing in back-to-back games.

We all know the skills are still there and his desire will never be in question. But what will it take for Babbitt to snap out of his funk? More playing time? A trip to the D-League affiliate? A return to the shaggier hair-do? It remains to be seen. Right now, one thing is clear: Armon Johnson is fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations at the next level and Babbitt is not.